Title: The Pain That Binds Us
Author: disnaly
Main Pairing: Inoue Orihime x Cifer Ulquiorra.
Minor Pairings: Mentions of Kuchiki Rukia x Kurosaki Ichigo, Matsumoto Rangiku x Ichimaru Gin, Urahara Kisuke x Shihoun Yoruichi, Aizen Sosuke x Hinamori Momo.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original Bleach characters or the Bleach franchise.
Warning: Mentions and mild descriptions of violence. Hints at mature themes.
A/N: Each chapter will contain ten snippets, all in varying lengths. These take place before and throughout Orihime's captivity. The events are written in chronological order and do not follow the events of the anime.
Summary: In a world where Soulmates can feel each other's pain, Orihime was born with a Numb heart.
Though Soulmates were born in the same timeline and same country, they were often a few years apart. As a result, there were many who felt the Pain early in their lives, because their Other Half had experienced Loss.
(XXXXI)
Silence was the one thing that remained constant between them.
(XXXXII)
Tired of the quiet and in desperate need of interaction, Orihime began asking him questions.
"Why is the moon still?"
"Why is it always night?"
"What does Aizen-sama want from me?"
"What will happen to me?"
And though, he didn't always answer her questions, it didn't stop her from nodding enthusiastically whenever he spoke. Whenever she did so, she noticed the strange light in his eyes brighten.
(XXXXIlI)
One day, he asked a question of his own.
"Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
He gestured to he room they were in.
"Pretend all these events are normal."
She stopped, chewing slowly in thought, before swallowing.
"It won't do for me to be sad. Either way, it would make no difference."
The confusion in his eyes only increased at her response. But, he didn't continue the conversation.
"Besides, there are two of here." She looked over to him, mischievous grin tugging at her lips, "It won't do for both of us to be gloomy and depressed."
He frowned lightly, but didn't contradict her.
(XXXXIV)
There were times Orihime wasn't sure if he even felt this Connection between them. Often, he was so cold and dismissive, she wondered if maybe she had misunderstood it all.
But, she could see the subtle signs of change within him. He began showing up in her room more often and began staying longer. He let her ramble and ask questions and tell him silly stories. He sometimes stared at her, eyes glazed in thought. As if she were a puzzle or a particularly difficult math equation he can't figure out.
Orihime felt her stomach flutter at having caught his interest; a hollow he may be, but he was still intrigued with his Other Half.
Apparently, he had nothing better to do because he began answering her questions more properly and asking more of his own.
(XXXXV)
"Hueco Mundo is not like the Living World. Various concepts of the latter, do not apply to the former. Time is one of them."
"You're saying time is stagnant here?"
"That would be one way of putting it. However, it would be more accurate to say that it doesn't exist, to begin with."
"You are to keep yourself in good health till you are called upon by Lord Aizen. You will be aiding in the war efforts and will remain with us until then."
"And after that?"
"It is most likely that you would be disposed of."
"Would you be the one to kill me?"
She had asked the question as a joke, to lighten the air between them. She had not expected him to look at her, meet her eyes and answer with that calm, dismissive voice.
"Who else has the right but me?"
Orihime was glad he felt he had some sort of claim over her; even if it was over her death.
(XXXXVI)
Ichimaru Gin came to visit her; the only person she had seen other then Ulquiorra in weeks. About a month ago, his wide smile and slitted eyes would have terrified her. Now, she met his gaze with a blank mask she had learned from the master himself.
"It's good to see you, Ichimaru-san."
"Wat do ya' know? Sunshine 'ere remembers me."
She kept her tone carefully calm as she said her next words.
"Rangiku-san told me about you."
As she had expected, the smile on his face disappeared at the mention of his Other Half. Orihime was sure she was one of the very few people who knew about Ichimaru and Rangiku. The suprise and sudden seriousness of the former captain was expected.
What she hadn't expected was for his eyes to open and look--truly look--at her. She hadn't expected him to approach her, as swift as lightening and have her pinned to the couch. She hadn't expected him to whisper the words, lowly and threateningly.
"How much do you know?"
She leaned back with all the nonchalance she could muster.
"How much do you think?"
He made her swear she won't speak another word of it. In return, she asked him to remove the cameras in her room.
(XXXXVII)
Ulquiorra entered as they were finalizing their deal. He paused at the doorway, blinking in surprise as he took in the scene. Orihime had to stop the blood flowing to her face as she realized the position they were in. Ichimaru Gin's smile, which had returned, just made it all worse.
"What is going on on here?"
"Nuthin', Ulquiorra-kun. Ori-hime-chan and I were just havin' a little fun."
Orihime protested against his words, pushing him away with a scowl. Ichimaru left with that annoying grin intact.
Left alone with her Other Half, Orihime felt her embarrassment from before return.
"Ichimaru-san was just messing around." She said quietly and not a little desperate. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea.
Though he nodded stiffly and acted like it didn't matter, Orihime noticed his shoulders relax at her reply.Turning away, she hid a smile.
(XXXXVIII)
The days passed and his questions grew in their complexity and numbers.
"How do you keep yourself engaged in this room?"
"How do you manage to keep rambling on for minutes about complete nonsense?"
"Are you afraid?"
And everytime Orihime answered, she felt just a little bit closer to him.
"It may not seem like it, bit there is a lot to do in here. No, don't look at me like that--yes there is a lot. For instance, I can sing and dance in the room. I can make up stories and tell them to myself and reenact my favourite movies and plays."
"Huh? What do you mean 'nonsense'? It's not nonsense. They might be small things but they still mean very much to me." She sighed wistfully, "I kind of miss them all, especially the red bean paste and wasabi I told you about."
"Afraid? Of what?"
He looked at her disbelief, his raised eyebrow the only indication of his surprise.
"Of the future that awaits you."
She simply shook her head.
"I gave up on my future the moment I decided to come here. It was my own choice, too. So, I don't think I have any right to cry over it, though it does occasionally make me sad."
"Sad?"
"Yes, sad." She said with a laugh, "I'm sure you would know all about it." She looked back at him, from where she was sitting in the table.
"Right, Ulquiorra?"
Their eyes met and something in her chest twisted. The air around them changed at the mention of his name, and Orihime felt her face burn. She found herself staring at her lap, too nervous to meet those questioning eyes again.
"Quite the contrary." She shivered when his cool voice broke the silence, laced with something I cannot name and do not want to name. "I know nothing about sadness, Orihime."
Something in her chest burst forth. She found it hard to keep her eyes averted when his lips formed around her name again.
(XXXXIX)
Things changed between them. The silence returned once again, though now it was more tense and heavy than anything else. Orihime felt irritated that he had dissipated the easy air between them. Now, the awareness between them increased. Their eyes often met and stayed trained on each other for whole minutes.
Orihime could not always guess the thoughts swirling behind those jade eyes; she had tried countless times but hadn't managed to completely break past his walls. And yet, the foreign look in his eyes seemed all too familiar at the same time, as if she had known him her whole life.
She herself might not have understood, but her Soul did. They were Two Halves, after all. Cut from the same cloth, then torn apart in two to be placed in different bodies.
So when she began brushing their hands more often, he didn't say anything.
(L)
The second and third persons she saw were two hollow girls. Orihime knew because of their smirks that their visit would be nothing pleasant. She tried to convince them to leave, but they took her requests as conceitedness.
"Princess here seems to be on a high horse, right, Menoly?"
"Yeah. Honestly, how arrogant could you get?"
Orihime understood their jealousy, and attempted to alleviate the situation. She knew they would end up doing something drastic. But, she was still surprised when the first punch came.
The force of the blow sent her flying, and Orihime coughed, tasting blood. Instead of fighting back because I feel more pity for them than anything else she silently closed her eyes and waited for it to end.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Be sure to tell me what you think!